Final Fling is the home of life and death decisions – the community for this critical life stage.

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Advance Decision

An Advance Decision states preferences for healthcare treatment that reflect your personal values. This is one element of your key paperwork to have in place whatever age and stage you’re at.

If you ended up in a coma or vegetative state, would you want to be kept alive on a machine? If you have views about any treatment you wouldn’t want, get it down in paper or you might not be in a position to tell anyone.

In England this instruction is called an Advance Decision, in Scotland an Advance Directive or Advanced Healthcare Directive (AHD). In the past it’s been called an Advance Statement, a Personal Directive, a Health Directive, a Living Will. We call it an Advance Decision for short. Whatever you call it, it’s a set of preferences about your values and treatment you would NOT want. The main difference between and Advance Decision and the old Living Will is that it has a legal standing*.

Download a free Advance Decision here. Share it with your GP to activate it. This is essential. It will then travel with your medical records electronically. Store a copy in your Final Fling Safe Deposit Box for safekeeping.

You might find some of the questions challenging and may need to think things over. You may want to discuss it with your doctor to be sure you understand the options.

Worth noting

*An Advance Decision is legally binding in England and Wales and underpinned by the Mental Capacity Act 2005. It’s common law in Scotland though in reality, a court would probably treat an instruction like this as legally bindingThe medical profession welcomes this approach because it offers clarity on difficult decisions and helps others understand your views and beliefs.

An Advance Decision lays out your preferences. It does NOT nominate someone to make decisions for you about your health care. If you want to do this, you must set up a Power of Attorney.

Final Fling is for people who like to be in control of life and death decisions. Know your options. Make choices. Leave instructions. Stay in charge. Right till the end. And meantime, live life to the full.